“That she'd be all right.” She turned to face him. “We don't know that.”
“Yes, we do. Hammerman said she has a good chance of surviving.”
“In what state? In a coma? As a vegetable, 'severely impaired,' as he calls it, blind? Just exactly what do you think he's talking about, Brad? You have no right to raise Andy's hopes and reassure him.”
“What do you want me to do, show him the X rays of her skull? For chrissake, he's only a kid, Page. Give him a break. You know how much he loves her.”
“I love her too. I love both of them …and you …but it's not fair to give false reassurance. What if she dies tonight? What if she doesn't even survive the operation? Then what?” There were tears in her eyes as she asked, and tears in his as he answered.
“Then we face it when it happens.”
“And us?” she asked, surprising him by shifting gears, but Andy seemed happy outside with Lizzie. “When do we face that? What exactly is going on here?”
“It was just bad luck the way things worked out,” he said quietly. “If Allie hadn't had the accident, you'd never have known. And you never should have asked Dan to call Cleveland.”
“Why not?” She looked outraged, their daughter had almost died in an accident, and she shouldn't have tried to find him?
“Because now he's figured it out, and it's none of his business.”
“And me? What am I supposed to figure out, Brad? Just how stupid have I been? How often have you done this?” She didn't know where he'd been, but it was obvious he hadn't been in Cleveland.
“That's not the issue.” He looked annoyed again. He hated having to admit any of this to her, but in a way, he had no choice now.
“Yes, it is! It's very much the issue. You got caught with your pants down this weekend, and I have a right to know where you were, and with whom. This is my life you're playing with too. You're not just out there on your own, having fun, and passing through here between golf games. This is for real, and so am I. What about you, Brad? Just exactly what's going on here?” She was shaking with rage, and he looked angry more than guilty.
“You've got the idea. Do I have to spell it out for you?” It broke her heart to hear him say it. She almost wondered how much more pain her heart could take in one weekend. She had wanted him to deny everything, wanted none of it to be true. But it was, and now it couldn't be avoided.
“Is this something new?” she pressed on, but Brad didn't want to tell her.
“I'm not going to discuss it with you, Page.”
“You'd better, Brad. I'm not going to play these games with you. Is this someone important to you?”
“Oh for chrissake, Page, why do we have to talk about this now?”
“Because it can't wait. You started this, now I want to know what you've been doing. Is this serious? Has it been going on for long? Has it happened before …and why?” She looked at him miserably, her voice a sad whisper. “What happened to us, and why didn't I know what you were up to?” How blind could she have been? Had there been signs? Looking back, even now, she couldn't see them.
Brad sat down unhappily and stared at her, hating every minute of their conversation. He hated confrontations with her, he always had. But he knew now that this one couldn't be postponed or avoided. Maybe it was just as well. She had to know sooner or later.
“I guess I should have said something a while ago, but I thought … I thought it would end, and I wouldn't have to.”
“Is it serious?” He didn't answer for a long time, and his eyes, when he looked at her, almost made her heart stop. This was no fling, this was a serious relationship, and she wondered with a gulp of terror if, without a warning sound, their marriage was already over. “Well?” Her voice was a croak as she listened to it, and tried to force him to answer. “Is it? Serious, I mean.”
“It could be,” he answered, sounding confused. “Page, I just don't know. That's why I haven't told you.” He looked desperately unhappy.
“How long has it been?” How long had she been stupid and blind, and incredibly foolish? Page fought back tears as she waited for his answer.
“It's been about eight months. It started on a business trip. She works in the creative department, and we went to New York to make a presentation to a client together.”